Sins of the Children
by FlowerofAdversity
Summary: XANA's latest scheme to destroy/beat the Warriors ends up costing him his soul. R


_Sins of the Children _

_Synopsis: XANA decides to infect Kadic with the seven deadly sins: Lust, Envy, Wrath, Pride, Sloth, Gluttony and Vanity. The first to be infected with the virus are the most innocent victims, the children of the lower-class levels, and then the upperclassmen are infected. The only ones who can stop the outbreak are the adults who have to 'shake the children up' before they rip each other apart thanks to their hatred of one another. _

_Representation of Sins _

_Sissi--Greed _

_Odd--Gluttony_

_Sam--Pride_

_Millie/Tamaya--Envy _

_Jeramie--Sloth _

_Ulrich--Wrath _

_Meiyo--Vanity _

_Yumi--Lust _

_Chapter 1--January Chill _

_Not long after the relaxing trip to the lodge, the students returned to spend the remainder of their Christmas holiday with their parents and relatives. Many of the students were reluctant to return to Kadic and get back to work. At least the new year would provide exciting opportunities for them, including the first ever Kendo Club that was headed by none other than Meiyo herself, thanks to her father's generous donations to the establishment. _

"_I keep forgetting how bleeding cold it is here in France !", Meiyo complained as she walked with her friends to her first course of the day, Physical Education. _

"_Ha ! This is nothing, little shrine girl ! In Russia, 'cold' is 30 degrees below and hardly any of us ever go out during that time for fear of frostbite !", Taelia chuckled, heartily. _

"_You know, she's right.", William agreed. Michael too, had to concur with his American friend. It was far colder in Russia than anywhere else in the entire world, except if it was Antartica, and only penguins, seals and polar bears existed there. _

"_Come on ! We have to get moving or we'll be late !", Emily reminded them. _

"_Right, move your tuchuses !", Ziva said, sprinting out ahead of all of them as her brother followed not too far behind her. The friends, glimpsing at their watches, took the initiative to follow Ziva's lead, getting into class with a few more ticks on the clock before the bell rang. _

_Jim took attendance, overjoyed internally that all of his class members were present and accounted for. He had a special guess to introduce the newest activity today, Kendo. _

"_Hey, isn't that your dad ?", Leona questioned, curiously. _

"_Yes, that's my father. He agreed to help teach Kendo every Monday for no charge. This is his passion, and it's been passed down for thousands of years through the paternal side of my family.", Meiyo responded, proudly. _

"_That's astonishing.", Leona answered. _

"_Amazing.", Yumi responded, feeling an instant kinship with Meiyo once again when she spoke of Japan. _

"_You kids ready ? Kendo is a pretty fun type of sword-fighting to learn, though it can be dangerous if not done correctly.", he tenderly warned the kids. _

"_Yes, Sensei. We're ready.", the children exclaimed happily. _

_Following the lead of the Sensei, the children mimicked his motions and even gave out their warrior cries. Jim even joined in along with them. Being a lover of Japanese culture, he was beside himself learning this ancient art that had been passed down from the feudal era into the present day. Before long, the bell rang and the students rushed out of class. _

_During lunch, the friends couldn't stop talking about all the sensational courses they had in their schedules. _

"_This has got to be the best year ever. Usually I have one or two classes I just can't stand but this year's schedule is exempt of that !", Amy admitted. Sissi almost felt like scoffing at one of her best friends. Amy was one of the brains of the outfit. As far as she was concerned, Amy had it easy when it came to solving problems. _

"_It just keeps getting better and better. Even the __lunch_ menu's better.", Odd stated, lost in euphoria eating the most recent 'healthy choice' pizza that Rosa so craftily prepared for them today. She had to make _extra_ because the students were gobbling it up so rapidly. 

Chapter 2--Brooding 

From his gnarled castle in the deepest, darkest parts of Lyoko, XANA grumbled over his last defeat brought on by the Warriors. He sat in his throne, head in his hands, fuming over how easily he had been beaten. 

"Why is it, every single time I think of monster or an army to take down those brats they overturn them so simply ?", XANA bellowed, hammering his fists on the side of the onyx throne, causing the sound to resonate through the ornate halls of his domain. He sat there, brooding for what seemed to be hours, straining his sinister mind at what hadn't been done before, what ploys he hadn't concocted. 

Annoyed, XANA took the goblet of red wine he had been drinking and threw it across the hallway in anger. Why was it so difficult ? If he had wanted to, he could easily crush the lot of them but their numbers were growing and it was becoming harder and harder to pin them down. He would immobilize them, like precious butterflies put on display. Then he would watch them squirm in their dying moments before keeping their carcasses on the pin-board, sneering as they expired. 

Then it came upon him as if he had been suddenly struck by lightning. 

"If I cannot defeat them, I will have them defeat _each other_ !", it was such a insidiously ingenious plot that he nearly kicked himself for not thinking of it before. He would create the most powerful spell in the history of Lyoko and Earth combined. This particular spell would prey upon the sins of those it infected. The more these victims sinned, the stronger that XANA would become. The equation was perfect, and if he was quite certain, irreversible and unbreakable. With that, he began creating his brew with some of the vilest ingredients he could locate. No sooner did the pot began to boil that he chanted his incantation. The only problem is he felt as if he had given part of himself to the Seven Fold Spell. In fact, he had. He had paid with his soul without even knowing it. If indeed, the necromancy could be reversed, he would surely die, and be unable to be resurrected again, because without his soul, he did not exist. 

Chapter 3--Not Themselves 

From deep within the Network, the tendrils of the sin spell had spread into the dormitories of Kadic. The tendrils crept down the hallways, stopping in mid-crawl after hearing Jim tread through the halls. Camouflaging with the walls, the tendrils waited until Jim passed and continued their dark purpose. They decided to warp the youngest, purest minds first before infecting the teenagers. Before the Seven Fold Spell was spent, it infected the adults, but oddly, the adults felt no change. 

When the morning began, a fresh coat of newly fallen snow covered the fields and surrounding area of Kadic's campus. The air seemed to crackle with energy as the students hustled to their next classes. The youngest students, however, seemed to be acting a little unusual. Suzanne had mentioned this to Yolande simply through power of observation. 

"I'm not sure if it is just apprehension of the upcoming finals but I haven't seen the youngsters this on edge before. Some of them are acting in ways I thought was inappropriate and I had to break them up.", Suzanne stated in distress. 

"I don't know what to do about it except keep them from hurting each other. It's so unusual. As far as I know they're not sick, so I'm not sure what this strange mood effecting the students is caused by.", Yolande said, looking utterly defeated. Suzanne was upset by this, since she too was a nurse and had been responsible for keeping the students well. 

Immediately, Suzanne reported to Jim what she had seen occurring. 

"I know what you mean. The children are simply not themselves.", he mentioned. 

"Do you think XANA is a part of this ?", Suzanne questioned, placing her hand over her mouth so no one would hear her if they happened to be close. 

"I think XANA is the cause. I'm not sure what he did, but matters are getting worse. Let's hope that only the younger kids are subject to this enigmatic attack.", Jim said. He quickly learned that the Warriors were affected too. All the while, XANA sat back and grew stronger waiting for his chance to strike them at their most vulnerable. 

Chapter 4--A Thunderstorm in Winter 

As the student's bickering grew more and more they had to be placed in detention and put under close supervision to make certain that they wouldn't start fighting each other _to the death_. The aggression that the most innocent students had for one another was horrifying to endure, but the hall monitors kept the troublemakers at bay. 

As for the teenagers, they were beginning to act weirdly as well. The typically loyal Yumi had begun lusting after her ex, Theo, which caused Ulrich to become _extremely _upset at her. He was usually laid back, but this new revelation in her personality had caused him to become wrathful, even to the point of wanting to have Theo _killed_. Jim and Suzanne had fortunately caught on to what was occurring now. 

"This is nothing more than a spell. Normally, they wouldn't act so distastefully.", Suzanne said. Jim felt a shiver pass through his body. Despite being so warmly dressed, the climate had changed again. Instantly, cumulonimbus clouds congregated above, sparking lighting bolts through them and creating deafening thunder. Not long after, XANA appeared in front of them and simply smirked before disappearing. 

"That little wretch ! Where did he go to ?", Jim said, realizing that he had nearly caught the culprit to the problems at hand. Suzanne's expression darkened. "He's catching up with the others. We don't have a lot of time. We need to awaken them before they destroy each other.", she said. 

Chapter 5--Listen to Reason 

XANA stood back and watched in glee as his victims became more entrenched with their sins. Odd was so fat he could hardly move. Sam had no friends because she had stated she was better than everyone else and no one else could ever accomplish becoming as incredible as she was. Tamiya and Millie were fighting among themselves, Ulrich had begun beating up Theo and Yumi in turn had begun fighting to tear the two boys apart from each other. Meiyo couldn't stop staring at herself in the mirror, Sissi wouldn't share anything with anyone, and Jeramie just sat on the cold ground, watching his friends tussling. XANA began to attack them with a red lightning attack, knocking them all to the ground. The all landed with a hard thud, Odd falling the hardest because of his large weight. 

"Ow ! That _hurt_ !", Meiyo stated, arrogantly. Her mirror had been shattered and she stood up, indignantly, looking for the villain who was responsible. 

Suzanne and Jim had transformed into Warrior garb quickly and ran into the field where XANA now held the advantage. The husband and wife held hands and used their powers collectively to begin awakening the children from the spell they had been put under. The two could only do so much and were starting to run out of magic until the unexpected occurred. Two teens who had been _untouched_ by the Seven Fold Spell came to help. 

"Edna ? Justin ? What are you doing ? It's too dangerous !", Jim warned. The Scottish students knew this all too well, but they hated seeing their friends in such terrible conditions. The two took upon Warrior forms that were quite impressive. 

"We're aware of the dangers, Jim ! They need our help ! You two rest for now, we'll take care of the situation.", Edna said as she and her newly transformed brother ran swiftly into the field to separate the teens and children from ripping each other to shreds. 

Edna and Justin used their powerful voices to talk to their friends, not even raising a hand against those who were fighting against each other. Slowly and surely, they snapped out of it and the two used a healing spell to restore them. 

"Impossible ! Inconceivable ! The Seven Fold Spell wasn't supposed to be so easily broken !", XANA thought to himself as he felt a horrible tug upon the core of his being. He could see his soul, in the form of a splendid Morpho butterfly, leaving his body and leaving him shaking on his knees. 

"No…I had no part in selling my soul for this ! You have to give me back my soul !", he screamed to anyone who would pay him heed. The Warriors didn't show him any pity. They were irate that he had caused them to fight each other. 

"You fools ! You cost me my _soul _!", XANA bellowed, accusing all of them for their misdeeds against him, when he was in denial. Taking the power he had been given from their sins earlier, he charged up a gargantuan energy blast to fire upon them, but they deflected it with their shield. XANA wasn't about to give up so easily. The final battle against the two forces had finally begun. 

Chapter 6--The Beginning of the End 

Suzanne has placed XANA's spirit butterfly in a small orb. If the A.I. wanted his soul back into his being he would have to retrieve the orb. The orb was made of an opaque fire-red crystal, but XANA could still see his soul trapped within. 

"I will die if my soul isn't returned!", XANA pleaded. 

"In creating your spell you have sold your soul to your own evil. Once again, XANA, you have underestimated us. You should repent for your _own_ sins and shortcomings, as all of our children have done so already.", Suzanne warned in a tender but slightly firm tone. It was unlikely that he would do so, and before he could retain what was rightfully his, the orb disappeared with a wave of Suzanne's hand. It had been transported to Stability to the Elder's care. 

XANA growled, surrounding himself with a dense ominous black fog. As he did so, he transformed into a fallen angel with raven wings, speckled with crimson and purple tips. 

"Whether you know it or not, Mrs. Morales, what is mine will be back in my possession before this night has passed.", XANA vowed. 

XANA was something gorgeous and fearsome to behold. The Warriors had little if any time to appreciate the newfound form he had taken upon and began to use collaborative attacks against him. The attacks did begin to damage him somewhat, but did little to subdue him. He let his head back and laughed manically, charging another energy blast in their direction. 

"Pathetic ! Your attacks are insignificant !", XANA said, holding his sides in paroxysms of guffaws. 

"This wretch is really starting to burn me kilt.", Justin stated. He wasn't the type to get overly upset, but when he or Edna did, their tempers were terribly fiery, as well as fierce. The heat of their anger was evident. Together, the fraternal twins joined in an attack of 'Divine Retribution' with the combined attacks of the other Warriors shot directly through the heart. Before he had the chance to exact one more defensive move, he had felt all his energy leave him. He was dying, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

The enemy fell to his knees and disappeared from the feet up. Strangely enough, dying didn't seem as painful as he thought it would be. He murmured two words before he dissipated into non-existence, 

"Forgive me". And the Warriors had already forgiven him for his trespasses. It was unsure where he went to, but it was now official; he wouldn't be causing anymore trouble on Lyoko, or Earth again. 

Chapter 7--A Happy Ending At Last 

The other children awoke from their unconsciousness, finding themselves not in the dentention room but the infirmary. The whole experience had been nothing but a dream. 

_Meanwhile in the Factory… _

"Edna and Justin McCormick, step forward.", Jim said as the two siblings stepped forward. Justin had been holding Edna's hand to give her courage. She still had shyness issues to overcome but she had been doing so much better about being more sociable. 

"For your heroism in the battle against XANA, we award you with these medals of bravery. You are deemed worthy to be part of the Lyoko Warriors.", Jim stated, happily, clapping both of them on the shoulder one after the other as soon as they were pinned with their golden emblems. On the medal it read simply, 'Bravery'. 

"About this Lyoko. You will explain it to us in more detail, right ?", Edna asked, raising a red eyebrow. 

"Of course we will, Edna, dear. It is all part and parcel of what a Warrior must learn.", Suzanne chimed in. 

"Thank goodness. All of this is really quite complex. I'm sure we'll grasp everything quickly.", Justin confessed. Right now, the vague concept of Lyoko and Stability was enough to make their brains reel and they were more concerned with getting high grades on their weekly tests so they left their curiosity on hold momentarily. 

_Afterwards… _

The weekend had just begun and everyone had their homework completed for the week. On that illustrious note, the friends were brought together to celebrate their grand accomplishment. No longer did the Lyokoians have to tremble in fear at the name of XANA. Lyoko had a chance to heal again and all sins committed had been forgiven and forgotten. A lavish feast was held in the Warrior's honors and each was presented with a precious stone representing their accomplishments. It was after that that fanfare followed and more celebrating ensued. Everyone was laughing, dancing, eating and drinking until the evening came and all said their goodbyes. Leona and Aelita, most of all hated to say goodbye because they knew that someday they would have to help rule the kingdom. At least for now they could enjoy their childhood on Earth with their friends and take the stories of the Warriors with them into their old age for many generations to come. 

Epilogue 

Edna and Justin trained very hard in the simulation. They clocked 40 sim-monsters in 1 minute, 56 seconds. Edna's new weapon, her Snake Sword, was used well to her advantage. It was created by Jeremie using a special program he created that upgrades existing Warrior weapons and creates new ones with the press of a keyboard key. The two Scottish children emerged from the scanners with a quick bow.

"Excellent job, children!", Jim said with a warm smile.

"Thanks, Jim. We couldn't have done it without the assistance everyone has given to us. Also, Jeramie, I can't be gracious enough for creating this sword for me. I'm calling her Absalom.", Justin said as he sheathed the virtual gleaming sword and its pixels dissipated.

"It really suits him.", Leona complimented him. Jeramie blushed.

"It's nothing really. I just believe every capable Warrior deserves a suitable, practical weapon.", Jeramie said.

"Ever the logical mind.", Aelita said, kissing her hero.

Stretching their arms, Edna and Justin were welcomed to the clan and were treated to some fruit punch that Suzanne had just brought out of the cafeteria.

"Don't worry, Rosa knew I was going to do this and we have plenty left over.", she explained. Even though it was still a bit chilly outside, the cold tropical flavor sapped the sweat right off of their brows and reminded them winter would be over before long and spring would soon be here. It was apropos, too. After all, the winter of XANA's reign was over, and the spring of content, joy and jubilation could fill Earth and Lyoko once more forever.

The End


End file.
